Call centers are always looking for ways to get more productivity out of their agents.
Now, researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have discovered something which could one day help call center managers squeeze every last bit of energy out of their workers: A brain chemical call Orexin A. The naturally occurring chemical is said to regulate sleep. The researchers found that when the chemical is administered to sleep-deprived monkeys, they can perform just as well as if they had a normal night’s rest. So now, pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline and Actelion are developing new drugs which will let sleep-deprived people perform just the same as if they a full night’s sleep – supposedly without any side effects.
If and when this drug becomes available, you can be sure that the call center outsourcing firms in the Philippines and India will want to start slipping it into the water coolers. As many of you already know, call center agents in those parts of the world are expected to put in long hours – typically more than 10 hours a day – as there are no restrictions on shift length (or the labor laws simply are not enforced). With this drug, an agent could, in theory, work two 20 hour shifts in a row (or more) and still perform the same as if they had a normal nights’ rest.
Interestingly, the drug companies are working on a nasal spray for fast administering of the drug. In lab testing, Orexin A reportedly “reversed the effects of sleep deprivation in monkeys, allowing them to perform like well-rested monkeys on cognitive tests.” The drug will likely be used initially to treat the severe sleep disorder narcolepsy.
If the new drug is approved, it will probably be a great alternative to using stimulants such as coffee and Red Bull (however, personally I’d want to experiment with it and see how I really feel, before I try it “on the job”). Obviously, there are a lot of jobs out there where this drug might play a useful role -- not just call center agents, but also truck drivers, security guards, air traffic controllers … hmm, come to think of it, who wouldn’t want to use it from time to time?
To learn more about this new wonder-drug-in-development, click here.
Oh, and by the way, Happy New Year! Maybe next year, if the Orexin drug is available, you’ll be able to stay up and party all night and show up for work the next day refreshed and ready to go another 20 hours! Too bad it’s not already on the market … I have to be back in the office bright and early on Wednesday morning!
Now, researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have discovered something which could one day help call center managers squeeze every last bit of energy out of their workers: A brain chemical call Orexin A. The naturally occurring chemical is said to regulate sleep. The researchers found that when the chemical is administered to sleep-deprived monkeys, they can perform just as well as if they had a normal night’s rest. So now, pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline and Actelion are developing new drugs which will let sleep-deprived people perform just the same as if they a full night’s sleep – supposedly without any side effects.
If and when this drug becomes available, you can be sure that the call center outsourcing firms in the Philippines and India will want to start slipping it into the water coolers. As many of you already know, call center agents in those parts of the world are expected to put in long hours – typically more than 10 hours a day – as there are no restrictions on shift length (or the labor laws simply are not enforced). With this drug, an agent could, in theory, work two 20 hour shifts in a row (or more) and still perform the same as if they had a normal nights’ rest.
Interestingly, the drug companies are working on a nasal spray for fast administering of the drug. In lab testing, Orexin A reportedly “reversed the effects of sleep deprivation in monkeys, allowing them to perform like well-rested monkeys on cognitive tests.” The drug will likely be used initially to treat the severe sleep disorder narcolepsy.
If the new drug is approved, it will probably be a great alternative to using stimulants such as coffee and Red Bull (however, personally I’d want to experiment with it and see how I really feel, before I try it “on the job”). Obviously, there are a lot of jobs out there where this drug might play a useful role -- not just call center agents, but also truck drivers, security guards, air traffic controllers … hmm, come to think of it, who wouldn’t want to use it from time to time?
To learn more about this new wonder-drug-in-development, click here.
Oh, and by the way, Happy New Year! Maybe next year, if the Orexin drug is available, you’ll be able to stay up and party all night and show up for work the next day refreshed and ready to go another 20 hours! Too bad it’s not already on the market … I have to be back in the office bright and early on Wednesday morning!
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